Sunday, January 22, 2006
Canada PM: Opponent "Clone of U.S. Extremists"
Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin, who is expected to lose Monday's election to his Conservative challenger Stephen Harper, has some choice words for the role-models of his opponent.
Martin accused Conservative leader Stephen Harper of being a clone of the U.S. extreme right on Saturday.
"We have a party (Conservatives) that basically draws its influences from the farthest right of the U.S. conservative movement," Martin, 67, told a rally in the Toronto suburb of Brampton.
Unfortunately, it is too late for Martin to make up for his slide in pre-election polling:
Martin started the election campaign at the end of November with a comfortable lead but polls now predict Harper will end 12 years of Liberal rule.
Polls show Harper leading by 7 to 12 percentage points, suffering no apparent effect from days of intense scrutiny in the media and Martin's attacks. A Strategic Counsel poll for CTV released late on Saturday showed the Conservatives ahead by 37 percent to 27 percent.
It is certainly a depressing thought that our saner neighbors appear to have fallen victim to the madness from this side of the border.
